Bumper



Jan. 7, 1930.

E. J. QUINN BUMPER Filed June 15. 1928 Patented Jan. 7, 1930 UNITESTATES PATENT OFFICE;

EDWARD J'. QUINN, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORTTO MORGAN .CON-STRUCTION COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OFMASSACHUSETTS BUMPER Application filed. June 15, 1928. Serial No.285,759.

The present invention relates to bumpers of the type employing aresiliently supported member for arresting the motion of a moving objectand absorbing the energy thereof, without destructive shock or damage tothe object whose motion is arrested, or to the bumper itself. p

The purpose of my invention is to provide an improved bumper that isparticularly adapted to receive the shocks of objects striking thebumper in different places. It is a comparatively simple matter todesign a bumper for receiving, always at the same place the impact of amoving object or objects, it only being necessary to place the resilientmember for absorbing the shock in substantial alinement with the centersof gravity of the moving objects; butsuch an elementary type of bumperis not eifective when moving objects strike it at difierent places orlevels. Such a condition is met with when a bumper is employed to arrestthe motion of heavy metal position of the shock-absorbing spring thatwill give uniform absorption of all the blows.

According to my invention I provide a bumper that is particularlyadapted for use under conditions where a large number of moving objectsstrike the bumper at different places or levels, as described above. Theprinciple underlying my invention resides in mounting the member whichreceives the blows in such a manner that the shock-receiv ing member,when yielding in response to a blow, always remains parallel to itsoriginal position. With such a mounting of the shockreceiving member,the resistance offered by the bumper remains uniform and the shocksabsorbed by the spring are symmetrical with respect to the direction ofthe force exerted by the spring. The above and other advantageousfeatures of my invention will hereinafter more fully appear, referencebeing hacl'to the accompanying drawings in which-*- Referring to thedrawings, the bumper comprises a base 1 which provides a pair of lugs 2forsupporting between them a shaft 3. The shaft 3 between the lugs 2,carriesthe head 4 of a rod 5, the other end of the rod 5 being looselyreceivedin an opening 6 provided in a bumper plate 7 The plate 7 isnormally held extended on the rod 5 in the position shown in Fig. 1 bymeans of a spring 8 surrounding the rod 5. One end of the spring 8 isreceived on a boss 9 surrounding the bumper plate opening 6 while theother end of the spring isseated on a guide 10 carried by a nut 11 inthreaded engagement with a portion of the rod 5. A second nut 12 servesto lock the guide carrying nut 11 on the rod 5, soas to hold theadjustment of the spring 8, and that portion of the spring 8 between theguide 10 and the boss 9 is prevented from buckling by means of abushing13 loosely received on the rod 5.

The plate 7 is held in operative position by its attachment, in thespecial manner hereinafter described,to a pair of shafts .14, 14extending between the vertical sides 1" of the base above and below thespring rod 5.

Each shaft 14 carries a bell crank lever 15, which has an elongated hub15 'as shown in Fig. 3. Froin each hub 15 extend two spaced pairs ofdownwardly projecting arms 16, between each pair of which is received alink 17 pivotally connected thereto by a pin 18 15, so that the plate 7is supported at four a points substantially symmetrical about the,

y axis of s ring rod 5, as shown in Fig.4.

Each ell crank also provides pairs of spaced arms 21 extendingrearwardly, substantially at right angles to the arms 16, and

' the arms 21 of the upper lever 15 are connected to the arms 21 of thelower lever 15'by means of links22 received between the pairsof arms 21and connected-thereto by pins 23 at'eachiend. i

Vith the above described arrangement it is apparent that the plate 7 issupported bythe shafts 14 and levers 15 in such'a manner that anymovement ,ofthe plate] willbe arallel to'itsposition as initiallydetermine by the pressure of the spring 8 in holding the plateextended'on the rod 5. When the plate 7 is struck a blow, as forexampleat the bottom portion thereof, the resulting depression of the plate 7will be transmitted equally to all parts of the plate by the action ofthe lower lever 15 in turning the upper lever 15 in'the same directionand through the same angu; lar displacemengand the same holds truewithrespect to a blow struck anywhere on i 'the; plate 7, either belowor above the rod 5;

Qonsequently, the displacementof the plate 7 causedby each blow istransmitted to the spring8 in a uniform manner and there is no' tendencyfor the plate'7 to tilt one way or the other abouththe rod 5 as a pivot,as

would occur in the absence of the substanlinkage which supports tiallyparallel motion the P a 7- Asbest shown in Fig.7 1, the four links 17 lwhichjtakethe thrust from the bumper plate v 7 when .it receives a blow,are disposed so that the pair of links above the'rod 5*are outofparallelism with the pair of links below the rod 5, said pairs of linksbeing arranged to toe; inwardly toward eachother. As a result of thistoed-in arrangement oft-he links 17,

when the plate 7 is struck a blow by a heavy "object considerably aboveor below the axis a of the springrod 15, the plate will'not kickupwardly or downwardly, .as might otherwise occur should the links. 17be normally maintained'in parallel relation.

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,The frame 1 carrying the bumper plate'is "adapted. to besecured inposition so that it .will not be ,shifted'by repeated shocks by means ofa pairiof wedge bolts 24 received in bosses 25provided' at the end ofthe frame 1. Each bolt 24 terminates at its lower end in'a' head 26providing an inclined surface 27 that is adapted to co-operate with asurface v28 having the same inclination provided on one sideofani'opening 29 in a supporting plate 30. The forward end of the frameprovides downwardly extending feet 31 each providingasurface 32 havin Yan inclination opposite to the'inclination o the surface 27 i on theboltheads 26. The surfaces 32 are adapted to co-operate with a surface33pmvided on one side of a second opening-34 in the supporting plate 30.

When setting up the bumper foroperation, the frame 1 is moved toposition the'feet 31 in the opening 34 with the surfaces 32 inengagement with the surface 33 Within the ope'ning'34; With the feet i3l'initially received inthe opening 34,the-wedge bolts 24 are lowered intothe opening 29 with the heads 26'turned into the dotted line position,

to permit the heads to clear the upper edge of the inclined surface 28within the opening 29. The bolts 24 are then turned and pulled upwardlyto bring the ,wedging surfaces 27 into engagement with the surface 28,after which a wedge 35 is inserted in a slot 36pm:

videdin each bolt 24, the slot 36 extending abovethe boss 25 when thebolt 24a raised in the position shown. The wedge 35 is then driven intothe slot 36 to draw the bolt 24 further upwardly, the co-operationbetween the engaged surfaces-27 and 28 then causing the surfaces 32 ofthe feet 31 to jan tigh'tly 2 against the surface 33 'in the forwardopen ing 3%; When the wedges 35'have been driven in tightly, it isobvious that the frame 1 will be firmly locked in position on thesupportsurfaces 28 'a1id 33. The frame 1, provides downwardly projectinglugs 37 abutting the "ing plate 30 between the opposed wedging boltheads26 which prevent'the bolt heads'26 y from bending back andpossibly'shea'ring'ofl when the wedges-35Tarevdriven in;

lVh'en it is desired to shift thebumper toi a different position, as forexample when it is desired to receive the impact of pieces of materialof diflerentfle'ngth, it is a simple matter to loosen the bolts 24 bydriving out the wedges 35, whereupon the heads- 260i the bolts "24 willfall away from the wedging,

surface 28. The bumper may then be moved to another supportingplate 30and locked into position in the manner previously described;

The wedge bolts 24 a-re prevented from drop f i ping out of the bosses25 when the frame lis moved by means ofpins 38 extending through bumperthat is characterized byits ability to impose-always the same constantresistance against the shocks of a succession of similar objectsstriking the bumper plate in different places. This is accomplishedwithout tilting thebumper plate, because the parallellink age forsupporting the bumper plate func-' tions to always maintain thebumper-plate parallel to its original position, regardlessof thedistance of the point'of application-of the blow from the point ofcontact of the shock absorbing spring. This characteristic prior'to theinsertion of uniform resistance is especially advanta geous in thepiling up of hot metal bars, one upon the other, as run out successivelyfrom a rolling mill; heretofore, in such piling operations, usingbumpers of ordinary construction, a part of the bars, encounteringnormal resistance, would be piled properly, but others encounteringexcessive resistance, would have their front ends bent and distorted.

I claim:

1. A bumper comprising a shock receiving member yieldingly supported andadapted to offer the same resistance to blows received from movingobjects, regardless of the points of application of said blows.

2. A bumper comprising a frame supporting spaced parallel shafts, a'shock receiving member connected to said shifts by linkage and a shockabsorbing member engaging said shock receiving member between saidshafts whereby movements of said shock receiving member by forcesapplied at points removed from the axis of the shock absorbing memberare transmitted to the shock absorbing member in the same manner.

3. In a bumper, the combination with an impact-receiving member ofextended area, adapted to receive the blows from moving objects at aplurality of different points, of a spring operating substantiallycentrally of said member to cushion said blows, and a parallel motionlinkage for the support of said member.

4. In a bumper, the combination with an impact-receiving member ofextended area, adapted to receive the blows from moving objects at aplurality of difierent points, of a spring operating substantiallycentrally of said member to cushion said blows, and a par allel motionlinkage for the support of said member from points on opposite sides ofsaid spring.

5. In a bumper, the combination with an impact-receiving member ofextended area, adapted to receive the blows from moving objects at aplurality of different points, of a spring operating substantiallycentrally of said member to cushion said blows, and means formaintaining said member, in yielding to the impact of each blow, insubstantial parallelism with its normal position irrespective of thepoint in its extended area at which the blow is received.

6. In a bumper, the combination with an impact-receiving member ofextended area, adapted to receive the blows from moving objects at aplurality of different points, of a support to lock the base againstupward dis-.

placement, and another wedge operable to elevate said bolt, thereby tolock said base against endwise movement on said support.

Dated June 12, 1928. p

EDWARD J. QUINN.

spring operating substantially cent-rally of I said member to cushionsaid blows, and means for maintaining said member, in yielding to theimpact of each blow, in substantial parallelism with its normalposition, irrespective of the distance of said blow from the line ofthrust of said spring.

7. A bumper unit adapted for detachable

